Travelog for: Roo

First we drove to the local orphanage for bigger children. We dropped off some stuff we had agreed to bring for the kids that are leaving the orphanage (to study). Things they will need when they get a place of their own. The kids have made some amazing handicrafts that are for sale. We got to see the products although the "shop" wasn't open. My host bought a wooden dolphin painting because she loves dolphins. She did see many many other things she would've wanted as well but they hadn't put a pricetag on them yet. Well, next time my host will be prepared...

The buildings in the photos are around the orphanage. In the second picture you can see the "lyseo" (college/highschool) which was designed by architect Ahrenberg in 1901. In the third pic is the town hall, designed by architect F.A. Sjöström in 1885.

The last picture is from the inside of the orphanage. They have this room with all these churchly images. I guess they'll prey in there, or just sit silently and think.

This is the yard of a kindergarden where we dropped off some stuff too. It's very colorfull as you can see. The safety regulations might not be as strickt as they are in Finland but my host said she would love to see this much cheerfull colors in Finnish kindergarden too.

After dropping off things we had time to go shopping and sightseeing on our own! In the first picture is actually a sort of a "mall". In those buildings were several different shops - although entering a shop looked like you would be entering a home. My host likes bookstores and here they sell toys too so my host "got 2 flies with one hit"  She has not yet found any books to buy though. But that's not a problem as she doesn't speak russian! 

In the second picutre is a bookstore across the street. We wanted to take a pic because the sign was also in Finnish! Well, this used to be Finland before 2nd World War. There are still many buildings that date back to the Finnish times of the town. Here you can read about the history of Sortavala.

In the last photo is the Nicholas Church which was designed by architect Nikolay Grebenka in 1873 from revenues of the Yeliseyevs brothers - merchants from Saint-Petersburg.

The shopping tour continues... In the first photo is part of the local buss station. On the other side was a market place (indoors and outdoors). The next to pics are taken on opposite directions and show more malls (this time they looked like it from the inside too).

The building with the huge painting on one side is an administrative-dwelling house which was built by architect Erkki Huttunen in the 1930s.

In the last photo you can see what my host bought with her roubles. As you can see, much of it is for her girls 

Here is the Hotel Seurahuone where we stayed. And it's surroundings. The street is the mainstreet of Sortavala, called Karjalankatu.

The bridge (220 m lenght, 11 m width), on which I stand in the boat photo, over Vakkolahti Bay was the longest bridge of Finland in its time. It was opened in 1932 on holidays when was celebrated three-hundredth anniversary of the town.

In the evening we went to a nearby restaurant for dinner. As you can see we had soup, (cold) fries, meat and a sweet looking & tasting bun!  We also witnessed a local birthday celebration. They had hired this bunch of people in traditional dresses to sing & dance - and make the party group sing & dance too! It was loud and it was fun! Oh, and the wife (?) of the birthday hero did some belly dancing! It was something completely different from how birthdays are celebrated in Finland. 

We were so tired we could only watch some dubbed russian tv when we got back to the hotel - and fall asleep.

Wakey wakey rise & shine! Early in the morning we packed to head back home. These pics are also taken by the hotel but in a different light. Plus theres a photo of the monument of a folk-tale narrator Petri Shemeikka (1825 - 1915) which was set up in 1935 to commemorate a centenary of Kalevala first issue. The author is Alpo Sailo sculptor, the lay-out of public gardenis made by Uno Verner Ullberg. This monument is raised from Berg judge's bequeathed means and from the revenue of the Singing Festival in 1926.

My host took the first blurry photo in the bus when we drove to see if there was a church (there was a small argue whether the church already existed or was it still "under construction"). Crazy people turn the buss around and go check  Well, it wasn't that big a leap actually. But there it was, church called Herrankukkaro (a place where you're in clover). My host told me that 2 years ago when she was here the last time, they slept in the hotel that is in the first floor and then there was yet no church.

The second pictures show the local small shop that we visited on our way. It's a small shop full of basically everything. My host bought a few souvenirs - "to support the local business" she said 

There was a christmas tree on the yard. I was told that russians don't celebrate christmas the way we do, to them New Year is the bigger celebration with gifts etc. Having seen the local birthday I bet their New Year is even more full of noise and fun!

This was our last drop-off. A kindergarden in a small village near the border. The village is called Värtsilä. It was divided in two in the 2nd world war, half of the village is still Finland and this other half is in Russia. We had to wait a while so we had a chance to take some pics. It looks so peacefull and quiet, maybe because it was the russian Mother's Day. The first photo shows the kindergarden and everything else is around it. My host wanted to photograph the playground again because of the colors and statues.

Just a few minutes from the border we had a chance to do some last minute shopping. Although no-one has ever seen anyone cashing the stuff in the "tents". In that cottage is a huge variety of not-so-authentic music and dvd's. Outside the photo is also a restaurant and another shop with drinks and goodies. My host got only some snacks for the drive.

We're back in Finland! Only about a 5 hour drive home... Feeling a bit exhausted... Might take a nap with friends to digest all that I've seen.

Finland turns 91 years today. Traditionally people burn blue&white candles (flag colours). My host doesn't have those so she put a candle made of paper on the window. The candle is made by her daughter.

Congratulations Finland!

Oh boy! My host is in the top10 too! I couldn't believe it when Alfie whispered it to me. We need to stay away from our host when she hears about this... She'll go absolutely nuts 

And hey, I'm climbing higher on my top10 list!

My host took her kids to an "Elf Workshop"! It's a place where kids can do gifts and decorations of recycled material (costs 4e/kid). It's open on the weekends in December before xmas. My host attended last year too and as the kids love crafts like their mom it's becoming a tradition.  This year they made
1.
gift paper
firts you draw things on paper with a candle (you won't see much)
then you paint the whole paper with one color
and voilá the candle drawings show up!

2.
rope
take 3 equal lengths of yarn and tie them together from one end
then braid and tie the other end

3.
window decorations
cut different shapes of coloured plastic film
glue them on uncoloured plastic film

4.
rainstick
get a cardboard tube
put nails within 10cm from each other in a spiral
fasten other end
pour seeds in
fasten other end
decorate!

5.
xmas decoration
cut paper in slim, about 15 cm lengths
glue one into a circle
put another piece of paper thru the first circle and glue it into a circle
continue this till you drop
You'll have a long decoration!

The girls loved it all! And it was very interesting to watch what all you can do from "scrap". I wonder what they'll do next weekend...

After the workshop we went to the other side of the building to take a look at the Christmas Market! They had all sorts of handicrafts for sale there. And a play for kids! It was called "Aunt Monika's Christmas Past". The kids got to do more crafts and write to Santa - and sang traditional christmas songs with the "aunt".